


Masks Are Made to Hide the Glow

by Everest21



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, The Mandalorian (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Bisexual Din Djarin, Boys Kissing, Cara Dune is a good bro, Coming In Pants, Din Djarin Removes his Armor, Din Djarin Removes the Helmet, Din Doesn't Take The DarkSaber, Din Gets Hurt But Nothing Explicit, Din Loves Grogu and Cobb so Much!!!, Din/Cobb/and Grogu Are A Family, Feelings Realization, Fluff, Frottage, Gay Cobb Vanth, Getting Together, Hurt Din Djarin, Hurt/Comfort, I Think It Counts As, Insecure Din Djarin, M/M, Major Character Injury, Masturbation, Mutual Pining, Not As Smutty As You Think, Pillow Talk, Sharing a Bed, Sleeping Together, Slow Burn, So I'm Tagging It That Way Lol, There Is A Steamy Scene There Read The Author's Notes!!!, They Stay Clothed, spoilers for season 1 and 2
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-25
Updated: 2021-02-25
Packaged: 2021-03-16 05:20:28
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 9,219
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29695629
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Everest21/pseuds/Everest21
Summary: It wasn’t easy, they’ve met not long ago, if the Marshal does feel something for him, what's going to happen to those feelings if Din decides to take off his helmet in front of him? What if Cobb is not attracted to him without the helmet?
Relationships: Din Djarin/Cobb Vanth
Comments: 10
Kudos: 76
Collections: Most Favs





	Masks Are Made to Hide the Glow

**Author's Note:**

> Hi, Jesse here! This is my very first DinCobb fic ever, so be gentle with me!!! Also, **this only has an “explicit” scene (but not too explicit) so, If you don’t want to read that part, I put a little “-” at the beginning of the scene and another “-” at the end of the “explicit” part of the fic, so anything in between those “-” is the “smutty” part… the rest of the fic can be enjoyed without worries. Mind the tags!! Read them all!** Spoiler ahead:  
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> IN THIS FIC BO-KATAN HAS THE DARKSABER NOT DIN!!
> 
> Thank you and enjoy! :)

It was pretty dark outside when Din gathered up the courage to knock on the door, as soon as his fist met the surface, he thought that maybe the other man didn’t want to see him again, but it was too late to go back to his — new — ship. The soft light from inside revealed the other man’s face; he looked sleepy, a lot softer at this time of the night. Din felt bad for waking him up. When the other man saw who it was before him, his whole face lit up.

“Mando” Cobb said in disbelief, a big smile appeared on his face. Din’s thoughts of being unwanted flew out of the window at seeing how genuinely happy the Marshal was with his sole presence. “Come in” the man moved to the side, and Din walked inside the small house. Once they were in, Cobb tried to tidy up as best as he could, Din smiled behind his helmet at seeing how fast the other moved around the room, in hopes that the Mandalorian didn’t see all the mess. 

“You can sit there” he said, pointing to an empty space in front of him. Din sat down where he was instructed and put his bag beside him. “How did you find where I live?” the Marshal said, but he chuckled right after. It was a nice sound, Din thought “I don’t know why I ask, this town’s the size of a fist, it’s pretty obvious you’re going t—” 

“I asked the townsfolk” he said, Din didn’t mean to interrupt the other, he spoke without thinking. Cobb didn’t seem to be offended, on the contrary, he smiled fondly while nodding his head. 

Cobb was about to say something when Din’s bag moved frantically, surprising both of them. A tiny green hand appeared from inside the bag, and soon after, a wrinkled little head. Cobb smiled even wider when he realized who it was. “Hey! the little guy is still with you” he said amazed, the child looked at Cobb with his big bright eyes. Din heard the kid cooing happily, he was extending his tiny arms and making grabby hands at Cobb. Din now can admit that that gesture makes his heart swell with fondness whenever the kid does it. He’s definitely a softer guy. Cobb stands up and comes closer to them, Din sees the older man smile down at the kid and takes him out of the bag. “Hi, pal. Do you remember me?” the Marshal brushes the thin hair at the top of the baby’s head, the child looks up and starts cooing and making happy sounds, which makes Cobb laugh. 

“I think he does” Din says. Cobb looks at him this time, the little smile on his face is contagious, Din is thankful that beskar is hiding his own smile under his helmet. The child turns his body and rests his head on Cobb’s chest, the same way the kid does it when he wants to sleep close to him. Din looks at Cobb’s face and finds a soft smile there, he looks so at ease with a kid in his arms, he irradiates a fatherly aura; he holds the child with so much care, touches his little head with the tip of his fingers as if the kid was made of something fragile. And the way he looks at the baby with so much fondness makes Din feel a certain way, he’s a hundred percent sure that Cobb Vanth would be an excellent father. 

The Marshal laughs for the Nth time, looking at Din. “I can’t believe I just realized this but, I _really_ missed this little fella right here” Cobb says, rocking the baby a little faster. The child shows him his tiny teeth in a big smile. The kid is easy to please, but when he’s in Cobb's arms it seems like he’s comfortable being there, the same way he does when the kid is in Din’s arms. The Marshal nuzzles the kid’s head with his nose, a wide grin appearing on his face. “And don’t be jealous Mando, I missed you too” the man looks at Din and winks playfully. Din’s cheeks turn to a pinkish tone right away, he makes a sound at the back of his throat, not sure how to answer the other man, the Marshal loves to toy with him like that and Din ends up flustered and red-faced whenever that happens. 

Cobb takes pity on him and speaks instead. “Wanna talk about it?” he nodded his head in the child’s direction, Din knew what he meant by that. Cobb wanted to know why the child was still with him, Din was supposed to hand him over to one of his kind months ago, but here he was, in the Marshal’s house with the child still by his side. 

There was a lot to talk about, but instead, he said. “Not yet” even through the helmet, he sounded tired, Cobb nodded understanding and stood closer to him. 

“Fair enough, partner. I’ll bring you something to drink and food for the kid” he placed the child in Din’s lap, the kid made a sound of protest at that but relaxed soon after he noticed he was being held by his favorite Mandalorian. “You do drink, right?” the Marshal was gesturing at his helmet, Din smiled. Everyone thought he didn’t take off his helmet at all, even for eating or drinking, that always amused him. 

“I do” Cobb nodded and headed to the other room, but turned around when he was about to leave.

“Oh, and Mando... I’m happy you came back” he said it with a flirty little smile of his, and before Din could say anything else, the Marshal was gone.

🪐🪐🪐 

“You can sleep here with me, the bed is huge so that wouldn’t be a problem” Cobb pointed at the big bed in front of them, Din’s back wanted to cry out of joy. In the Razor Crest, he’d slept in a cramped space, and more often than not, he woke up with pain all over his body. Cobb looks at him with a brow arched “That is if you’re okay with it” Din couldn’t tell if that was meant to be a challenge, Cobb gave him many mixed signals.

He takes the child and places him on an improvised cradle near the bed, he’s already opening and closing his eyes sleepily, he seems exhausted. He looks at Cobb and says “I don’t have a problem with sharing” Cobb nods and comes closer to the bed, Din is at the other side, waiting.

“Okay, I’ll turn off the light so you can take off some of your armor if you wanna” Din nods back, and just like that, they were surrounded by darkness. His helmet switched to night vision. Din saw the other man moving around the room, then he laid down on his side of the bed, it wasn’t until the other man was tucked under the covers that Din made a move. 

He thought about it for a couple of seconds, he knew that he could trust Cobb, the other man did everything he could to earn that trust. With dexterity, he removed his cape and every piece of beskar from his body, placing each part near his side of the bed, just in case he needed to put ‘em back on in the middle of the night. The only piece of beskar remaining was his helmet, it wasn’t the right moment yet, but soon it will be. Once he was finished, he lifted the covers and got under them. Cobb’s bed was _way_ better than his poor-excuse-of-a-bed inside the Razor Crest, Din can already tell that waking up is going to be a problem with how comfortable he feels right now. He feels Cobb move beside him, and sees the other man laying on his side just like Din. Thanks to his helmet he’s able to see that Cobb is looking at him, even though they’re surrounded by darkness, Cobb doesn’t want to look away. That thought makes him feel anxious, was he reading Cobb all wrong? 

“Hope my bed ain’t so stiff for ya” Cobb’s voice was soft, not wanting to talk too loudly in case the child was now sleeping, Din thought. 

He sighed and said “It’s alright” it was more than alright, but Cobb didn’t need to know that. “Sorry for waking you up” Din started, he felt like he had bothered Cobb a little too much already. He even invaded Cobb’s bedroom! “and for coming here, uninvited” he finished, softly. 

The man facing him grinned at hearing Din’s apology “Ain’t the first time someone has knocked on my door in the middle of the night, y’know? Marshal’s duties” he said the last part as a form of explanation. Cobb was a dutiful man, he was fond of this place and the folk living in it. Cobb had done everything he could to protect others, putting his own life in danger without even caring. Din respected him deeply for that. “And, you’re _always_ welcome in Mos Pelgo, no invitation needed” he saw how Cobb smiled shyly at him. Shyness suited him just as well as playfulness. 

Din was about to say something when Cobb spoke again “To be honest, I thought you would never come back. I mean, Why would you? we’re not even on a map, the most ‘interesting’ thing this place has is sand” the Marshal said with a humorless laugh, closing his eyes for a moment. Din could easily tell that Cobb was getting upset, the Mandalorian wasn’t sure about what exactly. “But there has to be a reason why you knocked on my door tonight, right Mando?” the man looked at him in the middle of the dark once again, Cobb’s right hand was laying dangerously close to Din’s.

“Yes,” he said in a rush, but then slowed down “I was hoping you could watch over the child while I go back to Nevarro” he should have said that as soon as he stepped inside Cobb’s house but, they got carried away and he forgot why he was there in the first place.

Cobb chuckled, it wasn’t a happy sound, Din felt uneasy. “So you crossed part of the galaxy just to ask me if I could be your babysitter?” he said in a tone of disbelief, Din saw the other man turning his body, so he was laying on his back, no longer looking at Din like before. “I’m glad that you even thought of me, pal. How many rejected your offer before you came here?” Din can recognize that tone easily; he’s sure that Cobb sounds bitter. He didn’t want to look into it too much but, it was painfully obvious now that the Marshal was pissed off because he thought that Din had forgotten about him, that Cobb wasn’t special enough to be remembered. And it was laughable ‘cause he thinks about Cobb pretty often, ever since he left Mos Pelgo with the armor, memories of their time together would come back into his mind.

He sighed and said “There are no others,” his voice was calm, Cobb turned his head and looked at him once again “you’re the only one I could trust to take care of the child… if something happens to me” he said the last part slowly, already knowing that the Marshal wouldn’t be pleased by that piece of information.

The other man rolled onto his side, propping himself up on one elbow. His eyes — even in the dark — went wild “If something happens to you?” Cobb said alarmed, in his panic, he raised his voice a little too loudly and they both stayed in silence for a while until they were sure the child was still sleeping peacefully. “Why would you go back there if it’s that dangerous?” he said it, now, in a whisper. It was kind of amusing seeing how worked up Cobb could get when Din’s life was in danger but would act nonchalantly when his own was at risk. 

“‘Cause they need me” was Din’s simple reply. 

Cobb sighed soundly but lay down facing the Mandalorian, one of his hands squeezed Din’s arm. “Don’t get yourself killed, pal. I’m pretty sure your kid is not going to be happy if he gets stuck with an old man like me instead of his favorite Mando'' Cobb chuckled at his own words, it was a happy sound, Din preferred to hear that one instead of the fake chuckle from earlier. He wanted to tell the other man that Grogu would be more than happy to be by his side, that Cobb was as worthy of the child’s love as much as Din was. But all of that seemed too much to say, maybe he should take things slow and be sure that the other man felt, at least, a little something for him too. It wasn’t easy, they’ve met not long ago, if the Marshal does feel something for him, what's going to happen to those feelings if Din decides to take off his helmet in front of him? What if Cobb is not attracted to him without the helmet?

“He likes you” he said gently, he knew that even through the voice modulator of his helmet, his voice would still sound soft. Cobb smiled at him and got a little closer, Din breathed faster, they were close enough that he could feel Cobb’s warmth all over his body. 

“Is that so?” the man said teasingly, a little smirk on his handsome face “You know what they say; if you want to win over the heart of a father, start with his children” Cobb was definitely flirting with him. Din groaned internally, it was so hard to stay calm and indifferent when the Marshal said things like that. And it was things like that that made him feel hopeful, made him feel wanted. 

“I’ll take care of the kid, ‘cause I know you’re coming back here in a piece, so don’t worry ‘bout it” the older man said solemnly “When are you leaving?” 

Din bit his lip, deep down he knew that Cobb wouldn’t say _no_ to his request. “As soon as the twin Suns are up” he explained, Cobb’s eyebrows went up instantly. 

“That’s soon” the man replied, surprised. “I guess we should go to sleep now, you must be tired” 

Din smiled under his helmet, he was tired indeed, but staying up a little longer so he could talk with Cobb wasn’t a bad thing “Thank you... for everything” he breathed softly. The corners of Cobb’s eyes crinkling happily. 

“No need to thank me” Cobb whispered back. “Now, let’s go to sleep” the Marshal closed his eyes, tugging the covers tightly around his body. Din turned the night vision off and closed his own eyes, a soft smile plastered on his face. He heard the other man sigh and then a muffled “Good night, Mando” which made his heart feel some type of way.

“Night” was his simple reply. Din wasn’t 100% sure but, he could have sworn that he felt Cobb moving a tiny bit closer to him. He drifted off with a smile on his face.

Once the Suns were up, Din put his armor back on and went to say goodbye to Grogu. He was still sleeping peacefully, soft snores coming out of his mouth, looking cute as ever. Din sighed. “Mind your manners, kid” he whispered, the tip of his index finger brushing the thin hairs on top of the kid’s head. “I’ll come back for you as soon as I can” he promised. It was hard to leave him behind but coming with him wasn’t safe for the kid. 

Din looked to his right, where Cobb’s body was still laying on the bed. From where he was standing, he could only see part of Cobb’s profile; his eyes were closed, his mouth a little open, but unlike Grogu, he wasn’t snoring. He seemed relaxed. Din didn’t want to think about it, but, maybe this could be the last time he sees Cobb — or Grogu — that simple thought makes his head spin and his heart clench with dread. He takes one last look at Cobb’s sleeping body, turns around, and strokes the child’s face one last time before he starts walking towards the door. 

“Mando?” a whisper came from behind him, Din turned around and saw Cobb sitting on the bed, the covers pooling around his body. They stay in silence, Cobb’s facial expression is one of pure worry, he feels the tension grow as time passes. They both seem to be holding back from saying what’s on their mind, Din’s heart is hammering on his chest. Cobb sighs heavily, he’s the one who breaks the silence “Come back safe, okay?” that’s all he says, but Din notices his concern behind each word. 

“I will” he replies, nodding. They look at each other for a couple of seconds more, until Din turns around and exits the room. Hoping that they could see each other again.

🪐🪐🪐 

It took him longer than he had thought; he had planned on being away for a couple of nights but, that time has almost extended to a month. It wasn’t his decision, or Cara’s not even Greef Karga’s, the mission was going smoothly until they were ambushed by pirates. They took Din’s — heavily — injured body back to Nevarro, and there they treated his wounds until he was healed. The nasty cut he had on the side of his body still bothers him at times. He’s a lot better now, and all he wants is to go back to Tatooine.

“Thinking, again?” Cara’s voice comes out of nowhere, he turns his head and sees her taking the seat beside him. She has a smirk on her face, as usual.

“Yes” Din answers back. They were sitting outside, observing the place in front of them and its inhabitants. The new Marshal of Nevarro made a soft sound beside him, she was playing with a rock in her hand.

“Have you thought about, when are you going back for the child?” she asked.

Din didn’t look at her but answered back “I don’t know exactly but, as soon as possible” he was counting down the seconds, he didn’t think he would miss Grogu that much, but he did miss him.

“It’s been quite some time since you were in Mos Pelgo, you must miss him, right?” Cara questioned, curious.

“I miss the child, yes” Din responded, he heard a snicker coming from Cara right after. 

“I was talking about the Marshal” Din turned his head at that, she was chuckling softly now. He felt his cheeks burning under the helmet. “Hey, before you give me a speech about how you’re not crazy about that man, lemme tell you something” she leaned forward, a serious expression on her face, and a finger pointed at Din. “You should give him an opportunity, give _yourself_ an opportunity. You’ve been alone for whatever reason, but it doesn’t mean you should stay lonely. You’re a pretty decent guy, y’know?” she smirked at the end of the sentence, Din sighed but couldn’t stop a smile from appearing on his face.

“The way of the Mandalore is... lonely” Din turned his head, looking straight “It makes you paranoid of people, I’ve trusted people that betrayed me soon after. Mandalorians are in constant danger, I can’t drag someone into that, it wouldn’t be fair” he explained softly. He felt comfortable enough around Cara, she had gained his respect pretty soon, it felt liberating to finally have someone he could talk to, and even more ‘cause with her, it was easy to open up about his feelings and other aspects of his personal life that he usually keeps for himself. Also, it would be pointless to try to deny how he truly felt about Cobb, better to let it all out now before it suffocates him. 

He hears Cara sighing beside him, he knows she’s not going to drop the subject that easily “From what you’ve told me, he can defend himself, doesn’t he?” 

It wasn’t a rhetorical question, so he answered her back “Yes” 

“And he’s a grown-up man, so, why don’t you let him decide on his own?” her voice wasn’t mean or anything like that, she was calm and collected. Din scoffed, looking at Cara once again.

“Do you _really_ think he wants to be with me? Are you out of your mind?!” he didn’t mean to sound so… panicked, but just the mere thought of Cobb wanting him back makes his skin itch. 

Cara snickered “You’re so dense” he wanted to reply at that but, Cara beat him to it, “I’ve seen you without your helmet… once, but I can tell you that you’re an attractive man and even tho you’re really quiet most of the time, you’re funny too so, I’m pretty sure he’s not going to reject you. You barely made it alive, don’t waste this new opportunity second-guessing everything, you deserve to be loved” her voice sounded honest, that was one of the nicest things she has ever told him.

And there it was again, his helmet. Since he met Grogu, he has taken it off in front of living creatures a couple of times, but when he removed the piece of beskar off his head when he thought the Jedi would take the child forever, something inside of him changed his whole perspective, shifting and spinning instantly. He knows now that _a warrior is more than his armor_ and that taking off his helmet doesn’t make him less of a Mandalorian. However, he prefers to keep the helmet on in front of everyone at all times, it brings him comfort and familiarity; after so many years of hiding his face, the helmet is like a safe place. But now he can take it off whenever he wants or needs to. That is why Cara’s words make him feel wishful, he wants to take his helmet off in front of Cobb, he wants him to see who Din truly is, no barriers between them. He only hopes that he didn’t read Cobb wrong.

“Thank you” Din says, but it doesn’t feel like it is enough to thank her for everything she has done. She smiles at him and answers back with the same softness.

After his talk with Cara, he realized that he couldn’t wait any longer. He needed to go back to Tatooine.

🪐🪐🪐 

The door was open when he got there, Din walked and stood just outside of the door. It seemed like they were heading out, even though it was dark outside. From where he was standing, he could see Cobb on the other side of the room, his back was facing him but he noticed that the other man was looking for something.

“Goin’ somewhere?” he said, the other man turned around quickly. Din smiled broadly when he saw Cobb’s face morph from one of complete surprise to one of happiness. Din walked inside the house, but not far from the door. The Marshal crossed the room in long strides, once he was close to Din, he put both of his arms around Din’s body. He stood there, shocked, Cobb was hugging him! He snapped out of it pretty quick and returned the hug. Cobb’s body was firm, he was a little taller than Din but that didn’t bother the Mandalorian, it felt nice to be embraced by him. 

He felt Cobb’s hands holding him tightly, a soft huff of air coming out of his mouth. “You came back” he said, almost like he couldn’t believe it yet. The man tightened his hold one last time and pulled away from the embrace, but they were still very close, Cobb’s right arm was resting on his hip. Din wasn’t going to tell him to remove it, it felt grounding somehow. “You okay?” Cobb asked softly, Din was just about to answer him back when a sound startled both of them. 

A loud whine made him look ahead; there he saw the little kid on the other side of the room, he didn’t change at all. His eyes were big and sparkling as ever, his tiny teeth on display. The Marshal chuckled at seeing the child so surprised “Hey, pal, look who’s here!” the man said, amused. The child looked at Cobb then right back at Din, the Mandalorian crouched down, both arms open. The child made a loud sound and ran as fast as he could, Din chuckled at his cute behavior. Once he reached Din’s arms, the man picked him up and hugged the baby close, the child was cooing and babbling incoherently on his chest. It seems like the child has also missed him.

“I told you I’d come back for you, didn’t I?” he whispered close to Grogu’s pointed-ears. The kid cooed happily.

“Come sit down” Cobb said, grabbing Din’s arm and guiding him. They sat down beside each other, the child sitting in Din’s lap. 

“Did he behave himself while I was gone?” Din asked, still looking at Grogu and brushing his ears with the tip of his finger. 

Cobb sighed, “He’s a nice kid,” he started, one of his hands touched the child’s head, fondly. “but he cried a lot the first couple of nights. He missed you a lot, I guess. After that, he got used to being only with me” Din looked at Cobb, he felt so sorry for the kid but was so grateful that Cobb took such good care of him while he was away. Din owed him big time.

“I’m sorry it took me so long to get back here, things got… complicated” Din said.

Cobb frowned “How so?” 

There was no point in lying, so Din told him the truth “We were ambushed, a big group of pirates attacked us when we were about to leave the place” he saw Cobb’s face twist in panic, the next part of the story was told a lot quieter “I got hurt, so they took me back to Nevarro and treated my wounds” The Marshal looked at him in fear.

“How bad was it?” voice strained, Din could tell that he was holding back tears.

“Pretty bad” he breathed out.

Cobb closed his eyes, his right hand going up to his forehead “Mando...” he whispered, he sounded pained.

“I’m a lot better now” Cobb wasn’t moving, his eyes were still closed tightly, so Din removed the hand away from his face and cupped his cheek. “Hey, hey, you need to listen to me. I’m okay now, I’m not going anywhere” his thumb was brushing against the skin of Cobb’s cheek, he was using gloves but the gesture was still gentle. The other man opened his eyes, he wasn’t crying but his eyes showed how scared he was, Din’s heart clenched at seeing him in that state. 

“The last time we saw each other, I told you not to get yourself killed” Cobb whispered, he was clearly trying to scold him. Din smirked.

“And I didn’t, I’m alive, aren’t I?” Cobb glared at him.

“I’ll prefer that you don’t get hurt either” Din smiled fondly and removed his hand from Cobb’s face. The child was still awake in his lap, he was looking at them quietly, not understanding what was happening. The Marshal sighed and spoke again. “Can I see your wounds?” almost instantly, he reprimanded himself for asking such a thing. “I’m sorry, that was too much” 

Din thought that _it was now or never_ “I can show you… if you want” Cobb looked shocked, not sure if he heard Din right, “But it would have to be somewhere more private” Cobb nodded, dumbfounded. They stood up and headed to the bedroom, but first, the Marshal went and locked the front door just in case.

Once inside the bedroom, Cobb sat down on his bed, the Mandalorian placed Grogu on his cradle and turned around. He was nervous, not because he didn’t want to show his body to the other man but because he was too impatient to do so. He worked silently, removing piece after piece of beskar off his body, revealing more of the body underneath. Through his visor, he saw Cobb following his every move, not wanting to miss anything. Din felt ecstatic, he was more and more certain that Cobb liked him as much as he did. He took off his cape, folding the piece of fabric and putting it with the rest of his armor. He was wearing clothes underneath but still felt odd to be standing in front of someone without using his armor. When the last piece was removed, he sighed and looked at the other man sitting on the bed. He looked amazed, his mouth was a little open. Cobb was looking at his body up and down, it wasn’t sexual, but his gaze was strong enough to make him shiver slightly. 

Din cleared his throat and said, “My arm was wounded pretty bad... in here” the Mandalorian rolled up his sleeve and showed the other man a nasty scar, not far from that one were a couple more. The Marshal seems to snap out of it as soon as he sees Din’s skin. He was sitting on the edge of the bed, so they were pretty close, the older man stretched his arm and with the tip of his fingers traced the scar tissue tentatively. Din didn’t stop him from touching his skin, he knew that Cobb wouldn’t hurt him, he was just curious. He showed Cobb more scars and scratches, on his arms, and the ones on his legs too. When he was done with those, he pulled his shirt up and turned to the side, revealing the biggest and nastiest scar of them all. Cobb hissed when he saw it. “This one was the most difficult to heal” the skin around it was still purple and yellow, so Cobb didn’t touch it just in case it still bothered the other man.

“It must have been a hell of a lot to clean and take care of when it happened” Cobb noted, his eyes never left Din’s body. The Mandalorian nodded, when he was brought to Nevarro he was covered in blood and dirt, the sight must have been shocking.

“I was a bloodied mess, but I was taken care of… I guess I’m in debt with the Marshal of Nevarro for saving my life” 

Cobb helped Din to pull down his shirt and looked up. “A Marshal, hmm? I’m pretty sure you’d find a way to thank him properly” it was meant to be a teasing comment but, there was more under those words. Din snorted. 

“I think she would snap my neck if I tried anything” he corrected the other man, as subtle as he could. It was kind of amusing seeing Cobb’s face turning into a pinkish tone. Din spared him the embarrassment and moved on. “She helped me a lot when I was supposed to deliver the child to one of his kind” he turned his head and saw that the kid was asleep, he smiled at seeing him so peaceful. “Her name is Cara Dune”

Cobb frowned, trying to remember “I think you’ve mentioned her name before. But, why is the kid still with you?” he asked, out of curiosity. 

Din knew that now was the time to tell Cobb the whole truth, so he sat down beside the Marshal and explained everything; he told him why he doesn’t have the Razor Crest anymore, that he was able to find more Mandalorians after he left Tatooine (including the owner of the armor that Cobb used to wear), and that the child was kidnapped. He also told him about the Jedi that saved them from the Dark Troopers. How he was supposed to take the child away to train him, but when he saw how strong the connection between Din and the child was, he told the Mandalorian that he should train the kid instead. Cobb made small comments throughout the whole story, astonished by such events. 

When he was done, the Marshal looked at him with brows raised. “That’s… a lot” the man said, Din could tell that he was overwhelmed trying to process all the information he just heard from him. The man looked to his side, where Grogu was still sleeping and said “Now, you’re really stuck with the kid, huh?” Din sighed.

“I suppose” he looked at Cobb, they were fairly close to each other “But sometimes I feel like... I was too selfish for not wanting him to go with the Jedi, I’m not sure If I’m gonna be enough” he admitted. He was scared of failure, scared that he wouldn’t be capable of protecting the child for long but, he also felt extremely attached to the kid, as if he was Grogu’s father. 

He was slightly startled by a hand grabbing one of his own, he looked down and saw Cobb’s hand holding his. It felt… odd, he wasn’t wearing any gloves on so the sudden contact made him shiver. His hand was warm, and Cobb’s grip was firm, it felt really nice to be this close to someone. “You’re more than enough, Mando'' the man whispered, his grip tightening slightly. “You care about him, you protected him with your own life even though you barely knew him. Your connection with the kid is so strong, that even the Jedi believes in your abilities'' the Marshal paused for a moment, then whispered a little lower “You’re a good warrior and... a pretty good man” they were sitting close, so close that his visor was fogging with the warmth of Cobb’s breathing. 

He felt the tension building, it was a feeling that was almost suffocating him. He was sitting there, not able to move, it was like he was in a trance and Cobb was the one controlling him. He saw Cobb opening and closing his mouth, he looked conflicted for a couple of seconds, then, he cleared his throat and pulled away. “I’m sorry, I’m always forgetting to keep my distance” his hand no longer holding Din’s hand. “I didn’t mean to make you feel uncomfortable” the older man put some distance between them by moving his body so they were sitting a little farther apart. Din missed his warmth already.

He decided to go for it. “I was not uncomfortable, I was… shocked” 

Cobb frowned. “Shocked about what?” 

“Because I thought you’d kiss me” he whispered back but corrected himself instantly. “I mean, you couldn’t because of the helmet but I thought th—”

“I wanted to, y’know? even tho I can’t thanks to your helmet” the Marshal interrupted whatever Din was trying to say, he was moving closer again, slowly. Din swallowed at hearing that confession, his throat felt dry and constricted, he hoped he wasn’t hearing things that weren’t real. Cobb had just said that he wanted to kiss him, it felt surreal.

Din looked at him through his visor. “I can take it off” he said, tentatively.

Cobb’s eyes opened huge, both of his eyebrows raised in complete shock. “What are you talking about?!” he was in a panic, his face said it all.

“My helmet, I can take it off if you want to kiss me” he whispered, then added. “If you want to see me” the Marshal breathed shakily, not quite believing what he was hearing.

“You are not supposed to do that,” the man started to say, confused “ever” the last word came out as a whisper. Din got closer, he could see how nervous the other man was, he was trembling slightly, but his eyes didn’t look away.

“Since I’ve met the child, I’ve taken it off a couple of times” Cobb frowned instantly at hearing that, his mouth a little open “Most of those times I took it off ‘cause I didn’t have another choice,” Din thought about that time he got hurt and needed to remove his helmet so the droid could take care of his injured head. He also thought about the first time he revealed his face in front of people, which has also been a situation where he didn’t have another option. “but when I thought that I wouldn’t see the kid again, I let him see my face, not because I didn’t have another choice, but ‘cause I wanted to. I want _you_ to see it too” he cupped Cobb’s cheek, his facial hair tickled Din’s palm, but it felt nice to hold him that way, it felt intimate. The Marshal closed his eyes, leaning into the contact. 

“I like you” the older said in a whisper a little too quietly, but the Mandalorian heard him nevertheless. Din stroked Cobb’s cheek with his thumb and smiled broadly under the piece of beskar. 

“I like you too” he said back without hesitation. It felt so liberating to finally say it out loud, and it felt even better ‘cause he knew that Cobb liked him as much as he did. Cobb leaned forward and circled his arms around Din’s neck, then he felt Cobb kissing his right shoulder.

“You sure you wanna take it off, Mando?” Cobb asked.

“Yes,” he answered back, his arms tightened around Cobb’s middle. “I’m sure” he pulled away slowly, but they were still pretty close to each other. His arms went up to his helmet, with shaky fingers he pressed a button on each side of his head, and a hissing sound was heard instantly. He was going to do it, he was going to take it off in front of the man that meant so much to him, Din was trembling slightly with excitement. 

He saw Cobb following his every move, he looked as nervous as Din was feeling. Din holds the piece of beskar with both hands, he starts to lift it slowly, revealing inch after inch of his face to the other man’s eyes. He closes his eyes for a second while he takes it off completely, they always hurt a little the moment he removes his helmet as if it was too much light at once for them. He opens them and puts the helmet beside him. He feels so exposed; no pieces of his armor on his body, only his civilian clothes on, and his face out in the open without the protection of a helmet. He looks at Cobb, his face hasn’t changed much, he still seems in a state of shock. Din feels his eyes looking at every tiny part of his face, trying to engrave every single detail into his memory in case this was the only time it happens. 

Cobb brings both of his hands up to Din’s face, cupping his cheeks with shaky hands. His touch feels so foreign on his skin, it is soft and cautious, but he’s not used to someone else touching his face at all. Din slips his eyes shut for a moment, letting Cobb’s fingertips explore every single inch of his face. The older man traces his eyebrows, moving downwards, he touches Din’s nose and proceeds to caress both of his cheeks once again, but this time brushing the stubble covering them. A small smile appeared on Din’s face when one of Cobb’s thumbs traced over his bottom lip, the older man’s gaze traveled from his mouth up to his eyes and then back to his mouth again.

“You’re a sight to sore eyes, Mando” the man sighs dreamily, still caressing Din’s stubble. “I don’t know what I’d imagined under the beskar but, I think this is a lot better” Cobb chuckled softly, Din’s heart hammered on his chest at hearing such a thing, he was over the moon now that he knew that Cobb liked him with or without his helmet. It was one of the best feelings ever. 

“Good to know I’m not as hideous as I thought” Din jokes, trying to sound as unaffected by Cobb’s words as he could. The older smiled broadly.

“None of that, Mr. good-looking” Cobb chuckled and his face lit up, he seemed a lot younger when he was in a happy mood, Din found that endearing. He also wanted to laugh ‘cause, between the both of them, Cobb was the good-looking one. He didn’t comment on it though “And you even have a mustache and everything” the man sighed, his thumb traced the patch of hair above his lips. The moment seems to drag out more than necessary, Cobb’s finger went from his mustache down to his chin. The Marshal was silent, deep in thought, Din couldn’t ignore the way Cobb’s eyes focused on his mouth. 

“Can I kiss you?” Din whispered. 

“Yes”

The answer came as fast as it was humanly possible. Din didn’t waste another second more and moved forward, one of his hands lay on the bed, right beside Cobb’s body, the other hand went up to hold Cobb’s chin. The first brush of their lips felt electrifying, it was the very first time Din kissed someone, it felt surreal to finally be this close to a lover. Their first kiss was short but full of affection, when they pulled away, both of them were breathing heavily. Cobb was the one who closed the gap between their lips again, he kissed with so much enthusiasm and passion that Din was having problems with keeping up with the pace. Din’s hand was holding the back of Cobb’s head, being adventurous enough to play with the little strands of hair there, they felt so soft against his fingertips. 

The older man pulled Din’s body down by the neck, and the Mandalorian went obediently. Cobb lay down on his bed, his legs wide open so one of Din’s legs could fit between them. They pulled away for a moment, their breathing was labored and their lips were wet with saliva. Cobb carded his fingers through Din’s hair, he did it softly, enjoying the way Din’s lashes fluttered ‘cause it felt that good. 

“You okay with me y’know… touching you?” Cobb asked tentatively. He was looking at Din with big shiny eyes, his lips looked red and a little swollen already, so beautiful laying down beneath his body. Din touched one of his cheeks and placed a single kiss there. 

“Yes, ‘s fine” he whispered. Cobb smiled and pulled him down once again, it was a lot easier to keep up with the flow now, he knew he was way too inexperienced compared to Cobb but, judging by Cobb’s facial expression and the way he kissed back, the man didn’t mind his inexperience at all.  
-  
They kept kissing and kissing, mouths working until Din could feel his lips start to bruise and sting from the intensity. Cobb wasn’t shy about any of it, he snakes one of his hands down Din’s body, bringing him closer so there wasn’t any space between their bodies. Soon enough, they were rolling their hips, still fully dressed, it almost felt a little too dry and rough but, it was one of the best sensations Din has ever experienced. His pants dug painfully into his skin, but he didn’t want to get undressed, it was way too soon to even think about taking his clothes off. They pulled away from the kiss and Din took advantage of that by kissing his way down Cobb’s neck, he placed open-mouthed kisses all over his Adam’s apple, the older man panted heavily beneath him, clutching at Din’s sides. 

Throughout his whole life, Din has only been intimate with three people; all of them Mandalorians, but only one was a male. With those people, he only took off the necessary so the other person could have access to his dick. Their relationship wasn’t anything serious, it was only meant to help one another when they needed to get off. Every single encounter wasn’t as satisfactory as he could have wanted; they were always rushed and sometimes, weren’t enough to make him come. What he has with Cobb, was something that felt 100% better, they got along pretty well, and, for the looks of it, that also translated to the bedroom. 

Din kissed him on the lips once again, his hips rocking faster against the other man’s front. Cobb groaned into the kiss, his hands went to Din’s hair, and tugged softly, his entire body twisting underneath Din. The older pulled away and turned his face to the side, a low breathy moan leaving his mouth, his hips thrusting up a couple of times more, and then, he’s done. He moans when he’s coming, long and uninhibited. Din picked up his pace, rocking his hips against Cobb’s body, his lips went to the older man’s ear, he sucked and kissed the skin there. Din can already feel that he’s going to come pretty soon, the whole thing feels too good and he hasn’t touched himself in a while, so all that pent-up frustration is catching up to him right now. He feels a hand snaking down his front and then, that same hand is touching his dick. 

“This okay?” the older man asks out of breath. Din can’t form a simple word, so he nods as best as he can. The older holds him a tiny bit tighter, this time his hand moves up and down. Even through his clothes, Cobb’s hand feels warm, his movements are restricted but they work wonders on Din’s dick. He thrusts up into Cobb’s hand a couple of times more, he can feel his orgasm approaching rapidly. He pants heavily near Cobb’s ear, a particularly hard thrust makes him close his eyes tightly and come into his pants, Cobb rubs his dick throughout his orgasm. Once they’ve both come back from their highs, they pull away from each other, Din rolls onto his back and stays there while he catches his breath.  
-  
The older rolled onto his side, his right hand laying on Din’s chest, he was breathing more evenly now. “Was it good for you?” the man asked, his hand moved upwards, and started to brush Din’s stubble. Din has the feeling that Cobb likes his facial hair a lot more than he normally should. 

Din chuckles breathily “Yes” he turns his head to face the other man and says “It was good, thank you” the older smiles and kisses him chastely on the lips.

“Don’t thank me, it sounds like I did you a favor and that wasn’t the case at all. I enjoyed it too, it was nice” he places a kiss on Din’s cheek and puts his head on his shoulder. Din’s gaze travels around the room and spots something on the other side of the room.

“Can’t believe we did that while the kid was sleeping in the same room” Din groaned. Cobb hid his face into Din’s neck to muffle his laughing. Once he was a lot calmer, the man pulled away from his neck and looked up to him.

“He sleeps like the dead, he didn’t see anything” Cobb says, trying to appease the other. “C’mon, let’s go get cleaned up and change into new clothes, I’m feeling kinda gross already” the older got up and dragged Din out of the bed. 

That night, as soon as Din’s head met the bed, he was out for the world.

🪐🪐🪐 

Din was pretty sure something was poking his eyelids, it was soft but it was getting a little annoying. He rolled onto his back and opened his eyes; it was morning already, the twin Suns were up and the room was a little warmer than when he went to bed the night before. A small sound pulled him out of his thoughts, he looked to his side and spotted a familiar face sitting to his right. It seems like the kid woke up earlier and climbed into the bed seeking some company. Din had missed his tiny little face and the way he always looks at him with big shiny eyes, he’d missed the stubborn brat a lot. The baby made a happy sound when he saw that Din was awake, his little green hands grabbing Din’s — formerly Cobb’s — shirt. The Mandalorian sits upwards, his back against the wall, he picks the child up and places him on his chest, the kid babbles happily and nestles in his arms.

“Did you miss me?” he asks in a whisper, the kid looks up and opens his mouth, showing his teeth. Din thought that the child wouldn’t recognize him without his helmet but, it seems like he does. Maybe the connection between them has something to do with that. Din brushes his fingertips on top of the kid’s head, a smile on his face. On his side of the bed, the Marshal moves in his sleep, a loud giggle coming from Grogu is what wakes him up, the man opens his eyes slowly, he’s sleeping on his side, facing them. Din meets his gaze and they both smile warmly at each other, the older man sees the kid on top of Din and smiles even bigger.

“Hey, pal! you woke up early, did you sleep well?” the man asks the kid, his voice has a teasing tone that Din can’t ignore. Din glares at the older man, Cobb only smiles broadly like the smartass that he is. 

“Don’t you have things to do today, _Marshal_?” Din asks the man instead, trying to prevent any possible embarrassment. 

Cobb chuckles and shakes his head. “Not this early, I can spend some more time in bed, don’t worry ‘bout me Mando” Din gives him a look and turns his head to see the child. 

The older man gets closer to them, snuggling against Din’s side, he smiles when he feels Cobb’s arm snake around his middle. The kid keeps babbling non-stop, he looks so cute moving his arms and giggling happily. “You still don’t understand anything that he’s saying?” Cobb asks him. Din shakes his head and sighs audibly.

“No, but at least I know his name now” the Marshal turns his head and looks up at Din, a surprised expression all over his face. “Right, Grogu?” Din sees how the child stops babbling immediately and perks up at hearing his name. It makes him chuckle every time the kid does that, the older man looks at the child with a smile on his face. 

“How did you know?” 

“A Jedi told me, she could communicate with him... in a way” Din said, still not sure how she did that. 

Cobb touches the kid’s cheek and gives it a soft little pinch. “That’s nice, he must feel so happy to hear his name again. Ain’t that right, Grogu? Are you happy?” the kid squeals joyfully, putting his arms up. They both chuckled at the kid’s behavior. “He looks happy” Cobb says, still chuckling softly. 

The Marshal props himself up on one elbow, looking at Din’s eyes. The Mandalorian focuses on the man in front of him. “What about you?” the older asks him, Din frowns softly. 

“What do you mean?” he questions in return.

Cobb smiles all sweet and says “What about you, do you have a name too?” Din smiles, he feels kind of stupid for not bringing that up before, Cobb has the right to know. Din _wants_ him to know. He nods, still smiling. 

“Din Djarin” comes out loud and proud.

Cobb’s face lits up beautifully, Din sees the other man extending a hand towards him. “Nice to meet you, Din Djarin. I’m Cobb Vanth, the lawman of this town” the man introduces himself, a small smirk on his face. Din snorts at his silliness but still takes the hand and shakes it. “Din sounds nice and all but, I think I’m still gonna call you ‘Mando’ most of the time. You can be ‘Din’ when we’re alone” Cobb said flirtatiously, Din liked the man more and more each day it passed. He didn’t mind either but, it was nice to have something for when they were alone. 

Din doesn’t think it twice, he just moves forward and closes the small gap between them. Cobb stops chuckling instantly and returns the kiss with the same eagerness. The older man bites his bottom lip and Din hisses, Cobb smiles into the kiss. A loud whine makes them pull apart startled, the kid looks at them with a lost expression all over his green face.

“I’m sorry pal, didn’t mean to take your dad away from you” he said jokingly. The kid cooed contentedly, laying his head on Din’s chest and closing his eyes. Minutes later, Din lays down again, being cautious with the kid still on his chest. The kid is breathing evenly now, he’s probably going to sleep some more, Din holds him protectively against his chest with one of his arms. When he turns his head, Cobb is still looking at him.

“Hey” Cobb whispers. He answers back instantly.

“Hey”

“I could use an extra pair of hands today, I’m not done with the repairs of my speeder” the man says, Din was about to say _yes_ when the older man spoke again. “That is if you’re not leaving today” his tone is low, tentative. Din is taken aback for a couple of seconds.

“I’m not leaving” he finally breathes out. 

Cobb frowns, confused “You’re kidding, right?” 

“I was planning on staying for a while but, that depends...” he says casually, the other man is looking at him impatiently.

“On what?” 

“Whether you want to have me by your side or not” Cobb looks at him with an unreadable expression on his face, and then, he laughs softly. 

“You’re unbelievable” he shakes his head, a smile tugging at his lips. “I’ll love that, y’know? But, don’t you have to go back to Nevarro? Or how are you gonna tell your friends that you’re going to stay here for a while?” 

“I told them before coming here” 

Cobb chuckles. “You were _that_ certain I was gonna say yes?”

“I was being hopeful” Did said with a smirk. 

The Marshal wiped the smirk off Din’s face with his lips, the man surprised him with a bunch of short but sweet kisses, both of his hands cupping Din’s face. Cobb pulled away, looking into Din’s eyes with such intensity that his breath hitched in his throat. “I like you so _so_ much, Din” the older whispered shakily. He hid his face into Din’s neck, his breathing was labored. Din felt ecstatic, just hearing his name coming from Cobb’s mouth was enough to make his heart race, it feels intimate, and just so _right_ when he says it, he was getting addicted to it. 

Din holds Grogu a little closer and kisses the top of Cobb’s head, he smiles like a madman, he hasn’t felt this happy in a very long time. At that very moment, it all feels too domestic, too close to what he yearns the most, they feel like a _family_.

**Author's Note:**

> I can’t believe I finally posted this fic! It took me so so long to finish it! Anyways, I hope you liked it, if so, PLEASE LEAVE A COMMENT! Kudos are also welcomed! I’m working on my second DinCobb fic (this time with actual smut and featuring Mayfeld 👀 spoiler; Cobb&Mayfeld like Din, but Din only likes Cobb), so we would see each other soon (but not too soon cuz I'm a slow writer haha)!!:) <3


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